The Scorpion King (PG-13, 2002)

Some very scary looking guys are about to kill a guy who would be even scarier-looking if he wasn't tied up. But then everyone steps back in awe of a guy who steps in looking scariest of all and as they hesitate, he cocks an eyebrow and says simply, "Boo." That is the Rock (WWF star Dwayne Johnson) and he plays Mathayus, the title role, in this prequel to the Mummy movies, giving us the background of the character who appeared briefly but memorably in the second one as half-man, half very large bug. In THE SCORPION KING, Mathayus and two others are hired by local tribes to kill the evil tyrant Memnon (Steven Brand).

The Scorpion King doesn't pretend to having anything like the wit and charm of the Mummy movies, which were a loving tribute to Saturday morning serials. But it works pretty well, largely due to its star. The Rock has genuine screen presence. He even manages most of the material better than Michael Clarke Duncan who is just too much of an actor to deliver the cheesy dialogue with the right mix of sincerity and irony, and Peter Facinelli, whose thin-voiced delivery doesn't convey the necessary petulant malevolence.

There is one innovation worth mentioning. In action movies, the hero is almost always stoic, even when he gets hurt. Think of Rambo sewing up his own wounds. But the Rock, carrying over the conventions of professional wrestling, grimaces in pain when he gets hurt. It doesn't rise to the level of acting, but in a funny way I think that it adds some heart to the story.

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Chuck Russell
Cast: Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Kelly Hu, Michael Clarke Duncan
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release: April 19, 2002
DVD release: October 1, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violence and sexual situations